More than 10,000 Applications Received for Benefits Related to COVID-19

The Ministry for the Family, Children’s Rights and Social Solidarity carried out its seventh process of payments for those individuals whose employment was affected due to the Covid-19 situation. The total expenditure reached €8.8 million, when adding up the contributions of social security (€880,000).

Till now there has been a total of 10,263 applications of which nearly all have been already processed (98.8%).

As of today, 7,617 applications have been accepted and paid out, which total to €7.9 million, these payments cover till Friday 15th of May 2020.

These details were given at a weekly press conference hosted by Minister Michael Falzon and Permanent Secretary Mark Musù who said that from those individuals that were paid today, 5,863 people have received the benefit allocated to parents, those with medical conditions or disability, while they remained in employment and another 501 individuals have stopped receiving their benefit and returned to work .

This means that there has been another 6,281 jobs secured, added to 93,000 jobs secured through the Malta Enterprise, so that to date we have a total of 99,000 secured employments.

Every beneficiary paid up till now has received on average €1,155 in financial aid per person – this will continue to increase till the situation persists and will remain to receive the respective benefit.

26.1% of the people receiving the benefits are males, while 73.9% are females, a reflection of the number of beneficiaries receiving the parent benefit.

As from 1st March until today, the Department for Social Security has received more than 62,645 emails, and 6,528 calls received between the 1st and the 12th of May. Another 15,427 telephone calls were recorded on the department helpline 25903000 as of 30th March.

Since the 16th of March 9,419 telephone calls have been received on the helpline 25903030 which is helping the elderly when it comes to buying neccesities, including medicine.

So far, Aġenzija Appoġġ has encountered 2,800 telephone calls on the helpline 1772 were they assist people who are feeling lonely.

The Foundation for Social Welfare Services already handed around 20,000 boxes of essential products to vulnerable families.

Minister Michael Falzon extended his appeal for every citizen to continue cooperating with the health authorities in order to overcome this pandemic challenge. Minister Falzon noticed a positive trend where more people are getting back to work and therefore not receiving social benefits anymore.